In 1974, a life-sized, terracotta army was discovered near
Lintong, Xian, Shaanxi, China. Buried in underground pits, the 8,000 terracotta
soldiers and horses were part of the necropolis of China's first emperor, Qin
Shihuangdi, to aid him in the afterlife. While work continues on escavating and
preserving the terracotta army, it remains one of the most important archaeological
finds of the 20th century.

The Discovery

On March 29, 1974, three farmers were drilling holes in the
hopes of finding water to dig wells when they came upon some ancient terracotta
pottery shards. It didn't take long for news of this discovery to spread and by
July a Chinese archaeological team began excavating the site.

What these farmers had discovered was the 2200-year-old
remains of a life-sized, terracotta army that had been buried with Qin
Shihuangdi, the man who had united the varied provinces of China and thus the
very first emperor of China (221-210 BCE).

Qin Shihuangdi has been remembered throughout history as a
harsh ruler, but he is also well known for his many accomplishments.

It was Qin Shihuangdi who standardized the weights and
measures within his vast lands, created a uniform script, and created the first
version of the Great Wall of China.

Building the Terracotta Army

Even before Qin Shihuangdi unified China, he began building
his own mausoleum nearly as soon as he came to power in 246 BCE at age 13.

It is believed that it took 700,000 workers to build what
became Qin Shihuangdi's necropolis and that when it was finished, he had many
of the workers -- if not all 700,000 -- buried alive within it to keep its
intricacies a secret.

The terracotta army was found just outside of his tomb
complex, near modern-day Xi'an.

(The mound that contains Qin Shihuangdi's tomb remains
unexcavated,)

After Qin Shihuangdi's death, there was a power struggle,
ultimately leading to a civil war. It was perhaps at this time that some of the
terracotta figures were knocked over, broken, and set on fire. Also, many of
the weapons held by the terracotta soldiers were stolen.

Details of the Terracotta Army

What remains of the terracotta army are three, trench-like
pits of soldiers, horses, and chariots.

(A fourth pit has been found empty, probably remaining
unfinished when Qin Shihuangdi died unexpectedly at age 49 in 210 BCE.)

In these pits stand approximately 8,000 soldiers, positioned
according to rank, stand in battle formations facing east. Each one is
life-sized and unique. Although the main structure of the body was created in
an assembly-line fashion, added details in the faces and hairstyles as well as
clothing and arm positioning make no two terracotta soldiers alike.

When originally placed, each soldier carried a weapon. While
many of the bronze weapons remain, many others appear to have been stolen in
antiquity.

While pictures often show the terracotta soldiers in an
earthy color, each soldier had once been intricately painted. A few remnant
paint chips remain; however, much of it crumbles when the soldiers are
unearthed by archaeologists.

In addition to the terracotta soldiers, there are
full-sized, terracotta horses and several war chariots.

Archaeologists continue to excavate and learn about the
terracotta soldiers and Qin Shihuangdi's necropolis. In 1979, the large Museum
of Terracotta Army was opened to allow tourists to see these amazing artifacts
in person. In 1987, UNESCO designated the terracotta army a world heritage
site.